Organ Pipe officials issued a 17-page report this week detailing
how the 15-foot-high wire mesh fence halted the natural flow of
floodwater during a July 12 storm that dumped 1 to 2 inches of rain
in 90 minutes around the border towns of Lukeville, Ariz., and
Sonoyta, Sonora.

Debris piled up against the fence, including in drainage gates
designed to prevent flooding, and the 6-foot deep fence foundation
stopped subsurface water flow, the report said.

As a result, water pooled 2 to 7 feet high, depending on the
area, causing water that usually flows north to south across the
border in natural drainage washes to flow laterally, the report
said.

A wash directly west of Lukeville flowed more than 200 feet
along the fence and through the port of entry at the international
border, causing flood damage to private property, government
offices and businesses in Lukeville and Sonoyta, the report
said.

Simply put: The fence did not live up to promises made by
officials from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Border
Patrol or Kiewit Western Co., the private company that built the
fence for $21.3 million, the report said.

"As a consequence, natural resources of Organ Pipe Cactus
National Monument and National Park Service infrastructure will be
impacted, as well as resources and infrastructure on neighboring
lands in the U.S. and Mexico," the report said.

The report has been sent to the Border Patrol and its parent
agency, the Department of Homeland Security, said Lee Baiza, Organ
Pipe Cactus National Monument superintendent.

"I would just like to have them come back and re-evaluate the
structure," Baiza said.

"They need to come up with a process to be able to remove the
debris prior to reaching the fence or the alter the design of the
fence to accommodate more flow."

The Corps of Engineers, in cooperation with Homeland Security,
designed the fence.

In washes, the fence has grate openings at the bottom that are 6
inches high and 24 inches wide with 1-by-3-inch bars. The grates
are designed to accommodate a flood, the report said.

Nearly all of the 5.2-mile fence, which flanks Lukeville, was
completed this summer, Baiza said. Kiewit is working to finish a
small section that goes up and over a steep hill west of Lukeville,
he said.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had not yet seen
the report and declined to comment, said spokesman Barry Morrissey,
based in Washington, D.C.

A Kiewit spokesman said his company couldn't comment on the
report without authorization from the Corps of Engineers.

Kiewit, based in Omaha, Neb., has also been awarded a $16.6
million contract to build 6.24 miles of fencing west of the San
Pedro River in Cochise County, figures from the Corps of Engineers
show.

It is the second time this year that a border barrier has been
blamed for flooding, the other being a wall in Nogales, Ariz., that
Mexican officials said caused severe flooding in Nogales,
Sonora

That occurred the same day as the flooding on Organ Pipe: July
12.

Environmentalists say they have been warning about such problems
with the border fences since plans came out.

"What we are seeing graphically at Organ Pipe was predictable —
this is what happens when you circumvent environmental laws," said
Robin Silver, co-founder and board member of the Center for
Biological Diversity.

"When you build an impediment across a stream, it becomes a dam.
And providing some holes in a fence is a joke."

The impediment to the flow of water can accelerate erosion, wipe
out riparian vegetation and potentially cause lateral shifts in the
locations of riverbeds, said Matt Clark, southwest representative
of Defenders of Wildlife.

The diverted water flows can cause damage to people and man-made
structures nearby, too.

"Whatever is in the path of the redirected water flow will be
damaged, whether that's vegetation and natural resources or
man-made structures," Clark said. "The power of water is a major
force."

The furious pace at which Homeland Security officials have been
working to install 670 miles of primary fencing and vehicle
barriers by the end of the year to meet mandates resulted in a lack
of diligence on such issues as water flow, Clark said.

"It's something that has been anticipated and unfortunately has
apparently been ignored in the rush to build this wall," Clark
said.

Though Baiza declined to join the chorus of "I told you so," the
report shows that he and other Organ Pipe officials also warned
Homeland Security about water-flow issues before construction
began.

In October 2007, Organ Pipe officials told Homeland Security
they were worried that the fence would impede the movement of
floodwater across the border; that debris would get trapped in the
fence; that backwater would pool up; and that the lateral flow of
water would cause damage to the environment and patrol roads, the
report said.

In response to those concerns, the Border Patrol issued a final
environmental assessment with a finding of no significant impact
that said the fence would not impede the natural flow of water or
cause flooding, the report said.

The agency said it would remove debris from the fence within the
washes and arroyos immediately after rains to ensure no flooding
occurred.

At a December 2007 meeting, Kiewit officials stated in a handout
that the fence design "would permit water and debris to flow freely
and not allow ponding of water on either side of the border"
because the drainage crossing grates "met hydraulic modeling
requirements."

Baiza didn't place blame but said he wants to make sure
something is done.

"We're trying to be constructive with this report, and the main
thing is that I just don't want it to be forgotten or undone,"
Baiza said. "I want to make sure we address situations as they
occur."

Organ Pipe officials have concerns about it happening again.
Based on a 60-year record of daily rainfall at Organ Pipe, the
amount of rain that fell July 12 occurs once every three years, the
report said.

"It would like putting your finger on the end of the water
hose," Baiza said. "You are restricting the water flow; that is
what the fence is doing."

"What we are seeing graphically at Organ Pipe was predictable —
this is what happens when you circumvent environmental laws."

Robin Silver, co-founder and board member of the Center for
Biological Diversity